In other news....First Egypt-style protests hit Gadhafi's LibyaDemonstrations held in Bahrain and Yemen as revolution fever rages in Mideast

NBC, msnbc.com and news services updated 19 minutes ago

TRIPOLI, Libya — Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of two Libyan cities overnight in the first sign that the unrest that toppled governments in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt has spread to the North African nation.

Witnesses said protesters in the eastern port city of Benghazi set fire to vehicles and fought with police in a rare outbreak of unrest in the oil-exporting country. They also chanted slogans demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi. In Zentan, marchers set fire to security headquarters and a police station, witnesses said.The riot in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, was sparked by the arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel, who has worked to free political prisoners, Benghazi's Quryna newspaper reported. Tarbel was later released, but the protesters proceeded to march through the coastal city to the main downtown plaza.

In a possible concession to the protesters, Libya on Wednesday freed 110 members of a banned militant organization, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, from Tripoli's notorious Abu Salim prison. The Associated Press said that the crowds did not appear to direct their anger at Moammar Gadhafi, who is Africa's longest-ruling leader at 41 years.

Al-Jazeera said the protesters are calling on citizens to observe Thursday as a "Day of Rage," hoping to emulate the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and end Gadhafi's regime.New York-based Human Rights Watch said a total of nine activists have been arrested in Tripoli and Benghazi in an effort to prevent people from joining Thursday's rallies.

As in the previous uprisings, Libyan activists were using social networking websites including Facebook.Libya is the latest country to experience unrest, following the successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Iran, Bahrain and Yemen also are experiencing ongoing demonstrations.

In Bahrain, protesters poured into the Gulf island kingdom's capital Wednesday to mourn a demonstrator killed in earlier clashes with security forces. Over a thousand people joined a funeral procession for the man, who was shot dead on Tuesday when fighting broke out at the burial of another protester.

Some 2,000 were also camped out at a major road junction in the center of Manama, hoping to emulate the rallies on Cairo's Tahrir Square and demanding a change of government."The people demand the fall of the regime!" protesters chanted as men pounded their chests in rhythm, a mourning gesture which is distinctive to the Shiite branch of Islam. Bahrain's Interior Ministry has promised to take legal action over the two deaths if it finds police used "unjustifiable" force.Meanwhile in Yemen, demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh spread across the country with protests in Aden and Taiz as well as the capital Sanaa. At least 800 protesters marched through the streets near Sanaa University despite police efforts to break up the demonstration.

Reuters reported that a 21-year old protester was shot dead after clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in south Yemen on Wednesday.

"We're no weaker than Tunisians and Egyptians, and our situation is worse than theirs," said Rafea Abdullah, a Sanaa University student, referring to the "people power" revolts that ousted the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia over the last month.

The precise motivations behind the Libyan protest were unclear, but a Benghazi resident contacted by Reuters said people involved in the clashes were relatives of inmates at Abu Salim prison, near Tripoli.

Others were relatives of inmates killed at the prison in June 1996, when more than 1,000 prisoners were shot dead.After the rioting in Benghazi, some 110 militants and activists were released from Abu Salim but a human rights activist told NBC News that this had been planned for six months.

The prisoners included the leadership of the Islamic Fighting Group, a Libyan militant group fighting the government which has agreed to stop their activities, NBC News said. One of them, Abdel Wahab Abdul Gayed, is the brother of Abu Yahi al Libi, a high-ranking al-Qaida official.

Fourteen people hurt The online edition of Libya's privately-owned Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi, the crowd protested outside a local government office to demand the release of a human rights activist, and then went to the city's Shajara square where they clashed with police and government supporters.It said the protesters were armed with Molotov cocktails and threw stones. The paper added that government supporters had taken over the square. Fourteen people were injured including 10 police officers, but none of the injuries were serious, the newspaper added.

A video clip posted online by someone who said it was recorded in Benghazi on Tuesday night showed a crowd of people outside what looked like a government building chanting: "No God but God!" and "Corruption is the enemy of God.""Last night was a bad night," a witness, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters."There were about 500 or 600 people involved. They went to the revolutionary committee (local government headquarters) in Sabri district, and they tried to go to the central revolutionary committee ... They threw stones," he said. "It is calm now."

Idris Al-Mesmari, a Libyan novelist, told Al-Jazeera by telephone that security officials dressed as civilians used tear gas, batons and hot water to disperse the protesters.The news service added there were unconfirmed reports that Al-Mesmari was arrested hours after the interview. Rioting is unusual in oil exporter Libya, where Gadhafi keeps a tight grip on political life.

Libya's state-run Juna news agency did not carry any word of Wednesday's anti-government protests. It reported only that supporters of Gadhafi were holding pro-government demonstrations in Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities.It said people taking part held up portraits of Gadhafi and chanted: "We sacrifice our blood and souls for you our leader!" and "We are a generation built by Moammar and anyone who opposes it will be destroyed!"

On Monday, several opposition groups in exile had called for the overthrow of Gadhafi and for a peaceful transition of power in Libya.

"Col. Gadhafi and all his family members should relinquish powers," the groups said in a statement.

An Egyptian blogger, Mohammed Maree, told Al-Jazeera that Gadhafi's government "continues to treat the Libyan people with lead and fire." "This is why we announce our solidarity with the Libyan people and the families of the martyrs until the criminals are punished, starting with Moammar and his family," he added.Gadhafi came to power 1969 through a military coup and since then he has been ruling the country with no parliament or constitution.

Although Gadhafi claims he is only a revolutionary leader with no official status, he holds absolute power.

The opposition groups say that in practice he has direct control of the country's politics and its military and security forces.Most analysts say Libya is unlikely to see an uprising along the lines of Tunisia or Egypt.

The government has huge amounts of oil cash which it can use to placate unhappy citizens.

Libyan society and public life is built around family and tribal ties, so if there is any challenge to Gadhafi's rule, it is likely to happen behind the scenes and not in the streets.

The crucial test for Gadhafi now is whether the unrest spreads beyond Benghazi to the capital and the west of the country.

People in Benghazi have a history of antagonism with Gadhafi.

Many of them did not support him when he came to power in a military coup in 1969, and since then the region has been cut out of much of the largesse handed out by the government from oil revenues, deepening the resentment.

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Chazz of Blades wrote:You notice we are all more focused on an old lady beating the @#!*% out of robbers, than a revolution in Egypt?

At least a few of us, myself included, have been following the revolution in Egypt for a few weeks now. I've been checking news sites more or less daily, and began auctioning off their national landmarks about a week ago to fund my private invasion force.

that area is run by a number of dictators and to see one topple gives the whole region hope and hope is a grand weapon... it is good that the area is standing up for their rights lets just hope the new governments will be for the people and not just as corrupt as their old one...

I'm reminded of something the comedian Colin Mochery said: "he puts the dic in dictator, but i'll bust his balls"